Wild garlic is in season in many areas of France and is a favourite in homemade pesto - but foragers are advised to take some precautions when looking for the plant in the countryside.
Wild garlic - called l’ail des ours (garlic of the bears) in French, and scientific name Allium ursinum - starts its season now. This typically lasts until June, depending on the region.
It is often used in summer dishes and has long-standing medicinal associations.
Historically, wild garlic (and ‘cultivated’ garlic) have been prized for its ability to reduce cholesterol levels, help with certain skin issues, reduce blood pressure and thin the blood. It has also been considered to have an antiseptic effect, and to calm liver and digestive disorders.
People who are taking medicines for blood thinning, or preparing to undergo surgery, should consume it with caution.
Where is it usually found?
With white star-shaped flower clusters and long, oval leaves that give off a garlic scent, it tends to grow in damp undergrowth, often in forests of beech, hornbeam and oak.
It is also typical in mountainous areas, up to an altitude of 1,600 metres. It is common in the Grand Est region and in all mountain ranges, except the Pyrenees.
Caution advised
Foragers are warned to take care when looking for wild garlic, as it can be confused with other plants that can be poisonous.
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Wild garlic and its toxic lookalikesConnexionFrance.com / DUSAN ZIDAR / iva / Uunal / Timmary / Shutterstock
The Société d'horticulture de l'Yonne posted some tips on its Facebook page earlier this month to help people.
Colchicum/meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale): Has thicker leaves with rounded tips. Not supported by a stem, and grows directly from the ground. Leaves are odourless.
Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis): Has small white bells and numerous leaves on the same stem. Poisonous, but less so than colchicum.
Spotted arum (Arum dioscoridis): This plant can grow in the middle of a colony of wild garlic and can be misleading. Wild garlic leaves have parallel veins, while those of arum have ‘secondary veins’ that branch off horizontally from a central vein. Some of the leaves can also be 'spotted', hence their name. Some may also look to have rounded points on their leaves, making them even harder to distinguish from wild garlic. They typically have thicker, longer, and whiter stems than wild garlic, however.
Similarly, wild garlic can be exposed to fox faeces, which can transmit the animal disease of echinococcosis to humans. Wild garlic should therefore be thoroughly washed before it is consumed.
Grow at home
For those who wish to avoid the risks of wild foraging, wild garlic can be grown from seed or bulb (or cultivated from a small nursery plant) at home.
Garden centres and online plant marketplaces typically sell it in multiple forms, and advise people to grow it in the right conditions of coolness and shade, in humus-rich soil. It can also be grown in a pot.
